Thursday, October 21, 2010

Daniel Pargman paints a picture of a world of limitation — climate change, ecological crisis, pollution, overpopulation, limitations of food production etc. We take "a world of possibilities" is the norm for us, whereas a "world of limitation" is seen as an anomaly. Contrasting perspectives of the future, but Pargman argues that a world of limitations is indeed the direction in which we are heading at the moment. Possible consequences: more expensive energy, transportation, heating, water, food, resources, products, and the relationship between work and energy (production) changes. Labour on the other hand will become less expensive in relation to energy, production, and products. Example: Detroit. Was the fourth largest city in the U.S. in 1950, one in five houses have been abandoned (40 000!). The decaying city.

Ubicomp might be key. Prediction is really hard, especially about disruptive change, and this is not just in pace or angle, but in direction. Investment in infrastructure has been put on hold. Is it possible to support and maintain the current level with less resources? Does the future belong to the permanently underemployed consumer? (Dmitry Orlov). Premise: the future of ubicomp will depend upon cheap laptops and mobile technology. Could young people accept less affluent lifestyles if they still have liberal access to information technology?